The end of summer

The time has come for soups, chilies and chowdas!  Nothing says winter more.  Yesterday, I started on my daughter's favorite, Clam Chowder.  For weeks, she's been harping for me to make some.  She's not big on soups or chowders, but to her, clam chowder is to die for.  (Three bowls later, she was full!)

I realized on the cold, drizzly ride home this afternoon that summer is definitely over.  The leaves are changing, mums are in full bloom, and the shorts and tank tops are all packed away.  Last night, I helped my husband stack wood in the shed.  There's a mountain of it and he says if the Farmer's Almanac is right, this winter will be crazier than last year's!  I sure hope not, I was thoroughly annoyed, being snowed in for days at a time with no electricity!  I know, I know, I love camping, but that is never a surprise.  You plan and pack for it, but when your electricity just turns off without any warning or preparation, it's kind of a bummer.  At least to me, I'm a planning freak!  Now don't get me wrong, I love sleigh riding and hot chocolate.  My favorite - late at night, when the world is dead, completely silent, the sky is clear and the stars are out.  You lay back in the snow, it cradles your body and then, you just take in the silence, in all it's glory, watching the airplanes and helicopters and stargazing.  Appreciating God's work.

My sweet Max, appreciating a good nap after his bath.  How tiring baths can be!  It's good to be loved and to smell sweet.

“Meeting you was fate, becoming your friend was a choice,
but falling in love with you I had no control over.”  - Unknown